tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159617092024-03-08T06:40:22.669+06:00Conversations with an OptimistIts too easy to say that life around us is not working, Bangladesh is not working but is that all? Can we not change our futures? I do believe each one of us have that power. Our future is so bright we got to wear shades!Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-57951493478550344972013-05-12T13:51:00.001+06:002013-05-12T13:51:47.542+06:00The (un) importance of labels
Do labels do justice to the complexities of our reality?
I believe the term used to describe me for the last two months has been “chhagu.” A slang term that connotes a supporter of Islamist-leaning politics. Interesting, I thought, given the fact that my lifestyle choices are often in direct contradiction to being a radical Islamist. So, why am I a chhagu? Probably because I didNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-35307602955211558162013-05-12T13:28:00.000+06:002013-05-12T13:28:15.187+06:00Of lungis and national pride
“Choli ke piche kya hai? (What’s behind the blouse?)” was a song that sent India into a tailspin in the early 90s. The moral brigade termed it vulgar. A lot of us sniggered at the provocative innuendo. I think what was forgotten was the following line that answered: the heart is behind.I wonder if the members of the Baridhara Society (appropriately BS) ever heard that song.
Their version mustNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-79191337212900031872013-04-22T16:52:00.000+06:002013-04-22T16:52:33.796+06:00The Iron Witch
“Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead” reached the number 2 position on the UK music charts propelled by a social media campaign marking the death of former prime minister, Baroness Margaret Thatcher. Whereas, the 1979 song by the punk rock band Netsensibles, “I’m In Love With Margaret Thatcher” only managed 36th position that week. It seems that people love to hate the Iron Lady.
I was only 9 Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-70751926595821249232010-11-09T13:21:00.005+06:002010-11-09T13:36:01.142+06:00Nazimgarh on The Daily Star Lifestyle pageAll text and pictures © The Daily StarAn urban view of rustic treasuresImagine being perched atop a hill, sitting on a sizable balcony with a cup of tea in hand, gazing on an expanse of green below that soothes the eyes. Having taken in this scene of idyll, you leave the balcony and cross the room, stepping over the hardwood veneer that lends the area a touch of charm and class, and enter theNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-78544568711342787562010-10-26T11:22:00.002+06:002010-10-26T11:26:15.399+06:00Foorti Rewind on Radio Foorti 88.0FMJust a small note to to tell everyone that I am currently hosting a Retro/Classic Music show on Radio Foorti 88.0FM every Friday morning between 10am-12:30pm BST. So if you want to listen to some great music from 60s, 70s, 80s or the 90s please tune in.You can also connect up to our Facebook Page at<!-- Facebook Badge START -->Foorti Rewind Radio Foorti 88.0fmPromote your Page too<!-- Facebook Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-74950263808503387062010-07-06T09:38:00.002+06:002010-07-06T09:42:32.468+06:00Tiny business tumbles on fall of WC giantsHere is something from the Daily Star Business Page of 5th July 2010 which quotes me.Tiny business tumbles on fall of WC giantsSohel ParvezIt was a gloomy Sunday morning for Kamal Hasan Prince. He displays jerseys of Argentina and Brazil at his makeshift shop on a busy footpath near Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.“The excitement among the fans seems to have dwindled after the exit of the two teams," Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-69168974866806235332010-06-29T09:06:00.002+06:002010-06-29T09:19:13.219+06:00Bangladesh: The Next Generation ReportA recent survey initiated by the British Council looks at the Youth in Bangladesh and their attitude, aspirations, hopes, concerns and pessimisms. This in-depth survey gives a very interesting reading into the minds of the largest demographic in Bangladesh. I do hope the leaders of our nation take heed to what we have to say...Description from British Council Bangladesh has young people in Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-28861699430098449952010-06-05T12:57:00.002+06:002010-06-05T13:01:36.679+06:00Youth are Calling : Are We Listening?Published on the 5th June edition of the Daily Star98 and 74. If I am asked, I would say these are the two figures that sum up the mood of Bangladesh’s youth. A staggering 98% of them believe that they should be involved in social work. On the other side of the coin 74% of them are not interested in politics.Through out the report, Bangladesh: The Next Generation, there are figures that highlightNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-9340221527048880572009-08-24T17:56:00.002+07:002009-08-24T18:00:57.374+07:00Bangladesh’s Advertising: Gazing into the Crystal BallThis article appeared on the supplement commemorating Bangladesh Brand Forum's Commaward (Communication Effectiveness Award) August 2009I unfortunately do not own the Back to the Future’s DMC DeLoren that allows me to time travel. Neither do I have a crystal ball. But that has never stopped anyone from trying to predict the future. Especially me. !The global advertising industry itself is at Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-25593167193135418582009-07-01T14:30:00.005+07:002009-07-02T12:27:30.890+07:00BFF: Critique 9: Ads that I don't likeAppeared in the June 2009 edition of the Bangladesh Brand Forum magazine.A criticism of my critique column that I sometimes get is that I hedge my bets. Basically it seems that I don’t come out and say out right that I don’t like a TVC. As a person pointed out to me, I put in a lot of disclaimers! Well it is somewhat true. I guess that is the hazard of working with the people whose work I write Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-84588109988546888282009-05-21T18:22:00.005+06:002009-05-21T18:44:54.247+06:00BFF: Critique 8: Energy DrinksAppeared in the May 2009 edition of the Bangladesh Brand Forum magazine.It’s a jungle out there! Specially between Tiger, Dark Horse, Shark, it’s a “Wild Brew” (pun of course intended!). Throw in Crown, Big Boss, Mountain Dew, Speed, and the Energy Drink market is really crowded. Being a very profitable segment of the market there is a mini war going on. It’s currently a small-volume-high-margin Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-60761491874943980682009-05-05T10:39:00.002+06:002009-05-05T11:12:18.194+06:00BFF: Critique 7: ProphylacticAppeared in the April 2009 edition of the Bangladesh Brand Forum magazine.One of my most embarrassing moments in advertising occurred when, in the mid 90s, I started out as a junior client executive. I was called in for a meeting with a large contraceptive product client that we handled. They were going to launch a “ribbed” and “dotted” variety of their popular condom brand. In the course of the Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-73710043595592035202009-04-10T13:12:00.000+06:002009-04-10T13:12:56.886+06:00Bangladesh Corporate Blog: 'Whats Up? with Nazim Farhan ChoudhurySome might be interested in a small interview I did for the Bangladesh Corporate Blog! (Then again some might not!! haha)Bangladesh Corporate Blog: 'Whats Up? with Nazim Farhan ChoudhuryNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-79999155010478900592009-03-24T12:00:00.003+06:002009-05-05T10:43:15.355+06:00BFF: Critique 6: Financial ServicesAppeared in the March 2009 edition of the Bangladesh Brand Forum magazine.The old adage proclaims, “Money makes the world go around.” Well at least it makes the advertising world go around. Like rest of the rat race, we are also obsessed with money. How much billing we have, who are the top spenders, what is the percentage of commission, how much outstanding an agency has, who gets what salary – Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-30732324339359140712009-03-16T10:15:00.001+06:002009-03-16T10:18:58.780+06:00Amarpotaka.comNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-33343886974785007102009-03-12T23:10:00.001+06:002009-03-12T23:17:01.909+06:00I tube, we tube, YouTube!Those who read my blog regularly (yes all two of you!) will know that I have a thing about Freedom of Speech. It really ruffles my feathers when that particular right is trampled with. Last few days you might have confused me with Big Bird! Boy o boy were my feathers in a mess. Some one in their infinite wisdom banned YouTube and a few other websites.Well we think it was banned. There was no Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-2390941418202497152009-03-12T10:39:00.002+06:002009-03-12T11:03:49.015+06:00Dispatches from the Frontline : Live blogging from Sylhet during the Elections 08I just noticed that my writings during the Elections of 2008 have not been posted on my blog site. I was in Sylhet at that time and was live blogging on the Unheard Voice blog site and had not updated my own site. So here for the sake of having all my writing at the same place, I am archiving the material from that time. December 28-30th 2008Dispatch from the Frontline (hopefully 1 of many)I Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-10008542507203047762008-12-12T12:26:00.000+06:002008-12-12T12:27:09.154+06:00ELECTION 2008: gazing into the crystal ball.… and they are off!The JP-AL drama is over (at least this round); manajat at Shahjalal Mazaars are done; election manifesto has been announced on live TV; candidate lists finalised and CTG thrashed on Tritio Matra! The campaigns have started and in about 17 days we will have an election 26 months in the making.Going into the elections I believe the conventional wisdom puts AL as the front-runner.Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-87161046880584347862008-11-18T17:07:00.003+06:002008-11-18T17:26:13.287+06:00Will Elections Happen? Its just one month to E-day!I am not a betting man but if I were, my money would have been on the ‘not bloody likely’ camp. Well at least not on the designated 18th December ’08 date. - And before everyone jumps on me, I am not at anytime suggesting that this is a good thing. Just that given how things look, it is highly unlikely. Standing at just one month to E-day one surely needs to ask the question "Why?"Well let's seeNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-67995914635412108642008-10-19T11:48:00.002+06:002008-10-20T07:45:49.002+06:00Asia Brand Leadership AwardI hate to blow my own trumpet~ Well actually not! so here goes... I received a Brand Leadership Award at the recently concluded 17th Asian Brand Congress!I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me learn advertising and branding and also lessons in life. Foremost of whom is my mother and boss - Geeteara Safiya Choudhury (or as I call her at work - Madam). Also to allNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-21173539993213605622008-08-28T23:33:00.000+06:002008-08-28T23:35:50.771+06:00BBF: Evolution of TV Advertising“Glory baby suit. Glory baby suit. Mon bhoray jai aharay, Glory baby suit!” Does anyone remember this jingle? Or this Bata Shoe classic “Hatti hatti pai pai dekhona…?” Maybe “come on everybody smile… smile, smile the Peps Gel smile”? All these are milestone ads in the evolution of the advertising industry in Bangladesh. The TV advertising in particular has evolved from telope based slides of Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-82113672367736785382008-08-12T12:13:00.004+06:002008-08-12T12:30:59.312+06:00BBF: Ad critique 5 : Customer CareAppeared in the August 2008 edition of the Bangladesh Brand Forum magazine.One of my favourite ads in the last few years has been the Vodafone India’s Customer Care series. You know, the ones with the dog and the girl. I always found it ingenious how Hutch (the predecessors to Vodafone) had initially introduced the dog (a pug) during an ad to talk about network coverage and then adopted him as a Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-83799407705356073642008-07-26T13:13:00.004+06:002008-07-26T22:18:34.787+06:00BBF: Ad critique 4 : HumourThe fourth in the series of my ad critique column that appeared on the July 2008 issue of the Bangladesh Brand Forum magazine.It has been my pet peeve that we do not use humour in advertising that we develop locally. It seems that we believe consumers here are more receptive to tear-jerkers (what was Banglalink thinking using a dead mother in a commercial!?!?) or song-and-dance routines rather Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-64045218226449408472008-06-09T19:29:00.006+06:002008-06-10T14:35:21.065+06:00Shada Moner ManushThere is beauty everywhere. And these are the people that an Optimist lives for. Something that renews and rejuvenates one belief in the inherent good of mankind and particularly our fellow citizens. Unilever presents this years 10 Shada Moner Manush (Humans with a pure heart!).These year's 10 recipients come from varying religious, geographical, age, gender and economic category. They have been Nazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15961709.post-45734957503246600382008-06-09T19:01:00.008+06:002008-06-15T14:29:01.492+06:00Making of Freedom Sanitary Napkin TVCOur production company Screaming Girl Production just produced the superb TVC for ACI's Freedom Sanitary Napkin. The brilliant script was by Shawon of Grey Dhaka. Meticulous direction was by the very talented Piplu.Here is the making of video. Enjoy!And here is the first of the two TVCsNazim Farhan Choudhuryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061598404691979156noreply@blogger.com3